Simona Halep Retires from Tennis After Illustrious Career

Two-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1 Simona Halep has announced her retirement from tennis.

The Romanian made the announcement at the Transylvania Open in Cluj, Romania, on Tuesday after losing 6-1, 6-1 in the first round to Lucia Bronzetti.

“It’s very hard to reach that level, and I know what it takes to get there,” Halep told fans after her defeat.

“That’s why I wanted to be here today, in Cluj, to play in front of you and say goodbye on the tennis court, even if my performance wasn’t great.”

Halep, 33, has struggled with injuries since returning to the sport last year after serving a doping ban.

She was initially given a four-year suspension in September 2023 after testing positive for the banned substance Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later ruled that the violation was not intentional and reduced the ban to nine months, allowing her to return to competition.

At the time of her suspension, Halep was also accused of irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), which is used to track an athlete’s biological data over time. CAS dismissed that charge.

Despite these setbacks, Halep had an outstanding career, winning 24 WTA singles titles and spending 64 weeks as world No. 1.

She claimed her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2018 before winning Wimbledon in 2019 with a stunning victory over Serena Williams in the final, making just three unforced errors and sealing the win in under an hour.

“To be competitive again requires much more, and at this moment, it’s no longer possible,” Halep said.

“I don’t want to cry. This is something beautiful. I reached world No. 1. I won Grand Slams; it’s everything I ever wanted.”